A teenager had to get both of his legs and all ten fingers amputated after eating leftover noodles.
The unnamed 19-year-old college student was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital after suffering from "shock, multiple organ failure, skin mottling, and a rapidly progressive reticular rash," as reported by USA Today.
The case was first brought to light in March 2021 in the New England Journal of Medicine, in which they revealed that the young man "had been well until 20 hours before this admission when diffuse abdominal pain and nausea developed after he ate rice, chicken, and lo mein leftovers from a restaurant meal."
Licensed toxicologist Dr. Bernard Hsu also shared a YouTube video last year about the "freak accident" that occurred following "a perfect storm" of events.
Watch below:The horrifying report states that the North England teen - who worked part-time in a restaurant - had been staying with a friend for a couple of days before feeling unwell. He also had normal smoking and drinking habits.
Hours prior to his admission, the patient, who is referred to as JC, had developed a series of frightening symptoms, including "chills, generalized weakness, progressively worsening diffuse myalgias, chest pain, shortness of breath, headache, neck stiffness, and blurry vision."
He had also developed a "purplish discoloration" of the skin, which prompted his concerned roommate to rush him to the hospital's emergency department for an evaluation. Upon arrival, doctors saw that his vomit was a "greenish yellow color, not looking like any particular kind of food".
"Doctors started to notice a rash containing small spots emerging all over his body," Hsu explained. "At first, this mottled appearance looked like bruises, but then they became a deep reddish brown, red defined at the edges."
In less than 24 hours after JC ate the stomach-curdling meal, his kidneys had failed and his blood started to clot so medics diagnosed him with a bacterial infection called Neisseria meningitidis - which causes stiff neck, nausea, respiratory collapse, shock, and multiorgan failure.
Unfortunately, his condition declined to the point that he was transported via helicopter to the intensive care unit of another hospital that had more resources and answers to his sudden health decline.
During his hospital stay, JC also developed necrosis - which transpires when too little blood flows to the tissue. This is believed to have been driven by an infection called purpura fulminans, a severe complication of meningococcal septicemia.
As doctors saw that the student's health was deteriorating, they broke the heartbreaking news that they had to amputate his legs below his knees and parts of all 10 of his fingers. He also needed a pacemaker for 13 days to treat his cardiac dysfunction.
According to the report, the hospital staff discovered that although the teenager had received his first meningococcal vaccine, he had never had the recommended booster shot as a teenager.
In addition to this, the report revealed that "a friend who had eaten the same meal as the patient the evening before admission had vomited once shortly thereafter but had not become progressively ill."
WebMD shared a medical report about the dangers of leaving leftover food at room temperature and the reason why food should be placed "in the fridge or freezer in the two hours after it’s cooked or taken off a heat source, such as a warming tray."
"To kill dangerous bacteria, you need to heat food to 165 F. The best way to tell if it has reached that temperature is with a food thermometer," it added.
